AlteredFate
by WeaselDaddy01
Summary: Through a twist of Fate, instead of Kuzuki, Emiya Shirou discovers Caster after her initial Master was killed. He takes her in, and due to his Hero Complex, ends up roped into the Grail War in an attempt to both bring it to an end, and see her through safely.
1. Prologue

**Authors Note:  
**

 **Alrighty guys, so the formatting of this fic is going to be a little bit weird for a moment until I get everything sorted out. I'd like to leave the initial bit that I've last posted as kind of a reminder to myself of where I'm going with this story, and also as a story sample of what happens later to give people a taste of what's to come, but now I'm bringing the story back to it's beginnings. What was previously written can essentially be ignored for now as we're not that far into the story at this point, but eventually we'll be built back up to that moment. Here's a short snippet building up into the prologue. Hope you enjoy, and as always, I welcome any and all criticisms that can help to improve my work.**

Five years ago, two truths were made very apparent to me by my father. The first is that being a hero, saving the world; these things were impossible. The second is that it is my duty to succeed regardless. He was a man who was betrayed and broken by the very ideals that he had sworn to uphold; his dream of becoming a hero proved to be insurmountable. Nonetheless, even if he wasn't able to save the world, he was still a hero to me. He had saved me, when nobody else could. So with that in mind, wouldn't it be the duty of the child he saved to maintain his legacy?

He would always tell me; "It is the duty of the hero to abandon the few to save the many. A superhero can only save those who he choses to save. If I have to abandon five-hundred to spare a thousand than I would; every single time. More lives were saved than lost... That is the ideal." It pissed me off whenever I would hear him talk like that. I knew even as a child that he was right. It was the best, most efficient method of salvation, and I'm sure I myself was saved through much the same mindset. But even still, a superhero is somebody that stands against those same insurmountable odds, and prevails regardless. A superhero is somebody that will always stand firm in his resolve to save everyone, even if it proves to be impossible.

Taking that lesson and that ideal to heart, I made it my goal to become a superhero where he could not. "I'll make your dream a reality," I told him on our last night together. In hindsight, I'm sure the man wanted to protest. He must have wanted to shake me and say "No, Shirou. This isn't something you can do." He must have wanted to explain to me, how broken the man before me was, that strived to fulfil that dream. He was a warm and loving father, who had always tried to deter me from learning magecraft or continuing his legacy. But something happened in those final moments. He looked me in the eye and considered for a moment before saying; "Yeah... I'm glad... I can rest easy now."

And that was that. He had passed on; and those were my fathers last words to me. As such my fate was set in stone from that moment forward. In a way, you could say that was the first and only selfish act Emiya Kiritsugu would ever perform. Instead of correcting his child, he saw the opportunity to keep his ideal going... And keeping his ideal alive was the best and most efficient way of saving as many as possible. For that brief, final moment, he had reverted to the man he had been so many years before. He probably died cursing his inability to turn away his child from the Hell he had created for himself; but even so, I never cursed or blamed him. In fact, I never even considered the absurdity of the mission he had given me. I figured it was just something that I had to do, as an Emiya.

So as I child, I was given an impossible task. With no direction given to me, and no idea where to begin, I simply began to train both my body and mind, for the day when my opportunity would present itself.


	2. Deceit

A young woman, cloaked in tattered robes and spattered with blood runs out of the forest on the outskirts of Fuyuki City. The sun has recently gone down; the days are getting shorter as they get further into the winter. Due to the early nightfall, and the increased sense of danger brought about by a recent string of deaths due to a reckless Master and his careless Servant, the streets seem to be empty. This gives the young womans hunter an easy avenue to pursue her without fear of being caught. Everything that could have gone wrong had for the Caster class Servant. Summoned into the possession of Atrum Galliasta, a Master that was as foolish as he was cold, and mistreated due to his fear of her expertise in magecraft, their relationship quickly deteriorated. Of course she was a powerful Mage; that's what he had signed up for when summoning a Caster. Unfortunately for the both of them, his ego wouldn't allow it.

The cruelty of his ritualistic sacrifices aside, they were simply a waste of resources. He had gone through dubious channels to obtain a large number of children who would not be missed; their souls being the essence he could draw upon the perform large scale magecraft with ease. Even this paled in comparison to the magic that Caster could generate with a wave of her hand.

So with such power at her disposal, how could this have happened? In a duel of magecraft he would stand no chance; she had already proven this. But...

"Come now, witch."

A voice sounds out from behind her as she attempts to flee. Her magical reserves are already too depleted to simply teleport away or fly to safety, so escape on foot is her only option. She may only be a Caster, so her physical capabilities are far below those of most Servant's, but she is a Servant nonetheless. She has made it most of the way towards the center of town in no time whatsoever. If she can just make it to a heavily enough populated area, Lancer will have to cease his chase, but- "You don't really think you can outrun me, do you?" His voice sounds in her ear, a predatory glint in his eye as the Knight in Blue keeps pace with her without issue. Delivering a swift kick to her side, she flies, smashing her into the wall of a nearby building.

"Damn. That's definitely going to leave a bit of a mess for my Master to clean up..." The knight sighs. "The fact that we're supposed to keep this under wraps makes fighting a pain in the ass. Everything we do leaves scars around this town."

Her spine was broken from the impact, about half way down. Her legs have become useless, and her body won't last long in it's current state. A Servants spiritual body cannot be crippled under normal circumstances; healing from their Master would quickly put them into a condition where they are capable of moving to their satisfaction, but in Caster's case the lack of a Master makes this kind of healing impossible. The most she can do now is crawl away. But if she could not even escape at a sprint, what hope does she have escaping him like this? She rolls onto her back and laughs, bitter at the world. It's all she can do anymore. Once again she has been betrayed by her very existence.

She hears the steady clink of armor as the Knight in Blue approaches. He is no longer running; a casual stroll is all he needs now that she's accepted her fate. The gentle pitter patter of the rain in an otherwise silent night adds a sense of calm to her second death. She feels the knight's spear press against her chest.

"No hard feelings, lady." He says cooly. "If you want to blame anybody, blame your Master. He's the one that put me and mine up to this. I wouldn't even be out tonight if it weren't for that." He gives a small shrug. "Although I guess in that regard, you already got your vengeance." The tip of the spear enters her chest, and she winces in pain. "Guess you can go without regrets then." A surge of magical energy surrounds the two of them, and an aura begins to surround the lance. "Just to be sure. You understand." And with that, the power of the Gae Bolg is unleashed.

* * *

"So Emiya, what do you think? Are they something you can take care of?" An old friend asks as I exit one of the club rooms of Homurahara. The heaters have been going throughout the school for ages, but aside from a select few classrooms, most of them aren't considered a high enough priority for the school to put any budget towards. I have already traced their structural components; it shouldn't take much effort to fix. It's certainly not dead, it just needs some maintanence. Assuming the others are anything like it, I could get them all taken care of in an afternoon.

"I'm not one hundred percent on it, but I can definitely take a crack at fixing them up tomorrow morning." With that arranged, we say our goodbyes and I start to make my way home.

It's been five years since my father and I had said our final goodbyes, and I feel like I'm no closer to making his dream come true than when I started. I've made no improvements as far as my talents as a Magus; I fail twice as often as I succeed with the most basic of reinforcement magic. I suppose that there's something to be said to the fact that I succeed at all, given that I've no real formal training, but even still it's vexing.

My strong suit isn't reinforcement however; my strong suit comes from my ability to visualize a structure through the use of my magecraft. I can learn the ins and outs of a structure, see it's strong points and weak points, where to best transmit prana, and overall get a general feel for what is occuring within it at a simple touch. When I first discovered my talent, Kiritsugu himself absentmindedly mentioned how useless it really is, although he certainly didn't mean anything cruel by it. It's just that, fundamentally, magecraft is about altering somethings core, so all of the extra details that I can ascertain wouldn't do much to assist me. As disappointing as it may be, at least my skill has some practical use in my day to day life such as in fixing up these busted old heaters.

Physically at least I've maintained my body well; I'm in very good shape for somebody my age, which comes in handy since the most help I can give to those around me tends to be doing various odd jobs like what I've been doing for Issei and the Student Council. It may not be much, but just doing what I can for the people around me helps me feel a bit fulfilled. Every little action I take brings me just a bit closer to that impossibly elusive ideal.

After some consideration, I've found myself taking a walk through the shopping district. I've been coming home later than usual, between my part time job and helping the Student Council, and it's been making Sakura and Fuji-nee worry. I figure tonight I might as well pick up something special to cook for them when I get home.

"Sakura..." I let out a small grunt of displeasure thinking about her. Things have become... Complicated recently. Sakura Matou is the younger sister of an old friend of mine. She came out to my houes quite often to give me a hand after I sustained an injury at work, but it didn't take long for us to grow close. Even after my injury has healed, she's continued to find excuses to come out to assist with the cooking, cleaning, and generally just keep me company. I suppose from the outside, our arrangement might seem kind of backwards, but that's not where the problem comes from.

Lately she's been maturing. She's always been cute, but lately it's been striking me how beautiful she's really become. More than that she's been the source of no small amount of comfort for me. I honestly can't imagine life without her; and therin lies the problem; I think I'm falling for her. Being the younger sister to a close friend of mine though, these aren't the kind of thoughts I should be having about her. I really should-

A sound reminicent of a bomb going off disrupts my thoughts, and snaps my attention back to reality.

A woman falls to the ground, a crater left in the wall that she was presumably smashed into. And before her...

"Damn..." A man in blue armor sighs, as he twirls around a ridiculous weapon; that is unmistakeably a real spear, with a level of craftsmanship like I've never seen. And just by looking at it I can understand; this spear will be the death of that woman. I try to run over but my legs are locked in place. I try to call out, to stop him, but my throat is so dry I can't make a sound. This is the kind of moment I've spent my life training for, but seeing this man here and now, I'm crippled by fear.

This is what it feels like to stare at death.

He's standing over her now, the spear pushed into her chest. The air itself seems to freeze, and an aura like I've never imagined seems to surround his weapon. This is a level of magecraft I could never hope to replicate, and I know, in that moment-

"Gae Bolg." -her death has arrived.

"Stop it you bastard!" I break into a sprint towards them, as the spear of irreversible death is plunged into her heart. I've found my voice. I've found my willpower. But it may be too late. He rips the spear out of her chest, and turns his focus towards me.

"Well shit, kid." I stop in my tracks as he aims his weapon in my direction. "I'd ask if this was a fight you really wanted to have, at least give you a chance to back down, but it's a little late for that now. Can't have you blabbing about what you just saw. You understand." And suddenly I'm acutely aware of two things.

The first is that I only rushed in after the woman had been impaled; chances are I've charged into this for a dead woman. The second is that I have nothing to defend myself with, and the man before me is quite clearly a monster beyond comprehension.

"Oh." I understand perfectly now how bad of a decision I've just made. I'm about to die.

* * *

"Kirei. I'd heard you were the moderator for this war, but to be honest I didn't expect you to stop in and see me." Bazett Fraga McRemitz escorts the priest to the sitting room of the estate she has occupied. The good thing about this city being the sight of previous Holy Grail Wars is that you can always make use of the fortifications that previous combatants have laid the groundwork for. Even this estate was last occupied by one of the Edefelt sisters, all the way back in Third Grail War. All of it's defenses were left intact; the perfect position to begin her campaign.

"And why wouldn't I stop in to see an old friend?" The priest gives a hearty smile. Friend? I suppose that was certainly a term she had considered regarding their relationship, but it was a surprise to hear Kirei say it himself. He'd certainly never seemed to show much affection in their past meetings.

"So you know the guy running this show then?" A voice that seems to be attached to nobody in particular sounds throughout the room. "That's not a bad advantage to have. It looks like I've gotten paired up with quite the Master." A man, donned in blue armor with blood red eyes materializes before them as they take their seats. After the exchange of basic pleasantries, and the introduction of her Lancer class Servant, the priest smiles at Bazett. A chill fills the air.

"I apologize if this is rude, but I did not come here simply for the pleasure of your company. As administrator of the Fifth Holy Grail War, I have a responsibility to deliver this message to you from the other Master sent by the Mages Association."

"And what does Atrum want with me?" Bazett does not attempt to hide the bitterness in her voice. The man had treated her with nothing but contempt in the past, and that wound remains a bit sore.

"He wants you to eliminate his Servant." A tense silent hangs in the air.

"Hold on." Lancer frowns with displeasure. "He wants to hire us to eliminate his own Servant? Doesn't this sound like a trap?"

"Not at all," the Priest says with a smile. It's almost as if he's enjoying this. "He came to me to ask for your help specifically in this matter. He is disatisfied with his current partner, and seeks to summon a new one to take her place. He will allow you the honor of the kill, and will offer up an alliance until the two of you are the only factions that remain if you agree to assist." Lancer looks to his master, attempting to gauge her reaction.

"What class servant has he summoned?" She asks.

"A Caster. The Princess of Colchis, to be precise."

"Is that right..." After a moments consideration, she glances to Lancer. "Do you have an issue with this?" Lancer shrugs.

"I'm just here to fight who you say, when you tell me to. If it's what you want done, I'll do what I have to." She gives a small nod.

"Thank you Lancer. See it done." He dematerializes and departs. "And this gives us a moment to catch up I would say, Kirei." The priest gives a smile, from the bottom of his heart. He has not felt joy like this since the all of those years ago, with Tokiomi. "Can I offer you a drink?"

"Red wine would be lovely, if you have any available." She gives him a smile and moves towards the towards the wine rack. He is nearly shaking with anticipation now.

"So tell me, Kotomine. Doesn't it seem a bit unscrupulous that you're visiting a Master so casually? As a moderator for the Holy Grail War, and as an agent of the Church, well..."

She trails off for a moment. Kotomine Kirei stands to his feet and approaches her. In a head on fight, Kirei would not be able to overtake the Master of Lancer. Bazett Fraga McRemitz was a skilled combatant like no other. In his prime, possibly, but now he could never hope to best her. "Well it might seem a bit supsicious, right?" She finishes her thought as she begins to pour the wine. "You wouldn't want the other Master's thinking you're playing favorites."

But this was not a head on fight. This was an assassination that she could neither expect nor prepare for. Black Keys are a weapon distributed by the Holy Church to assist in the hunting of Vampires and other unholy creatures; they are throwing swords that primarily serve as a stabbing weapon, but it's not as if they don't have an edge. Not sharp enough for a clean cut, but within several hacks, Kirei is capable of removing her arm. Was it because she viewed him as a friend? Was it because of the feelings she held for this false priest? Where she normally would have been able to react within the first moments of combat, she stands in shock as he severs her right arm. She stumbles forward and spins around to face her assailant.

"Kirei?" She mutters in a daze, gripping at her empty socket. The shock has already begun to set in. "Lancer..." She manages to cry out. "Lancer! Come back to me!" But nothing happens. "But... Why? I tried to use a command spell so-" and then she sees. The command spell binding her to her Lancer, lying on the ground in front of her, still attached to her severed limb. Before she can even react, the Black Key is driven through her chest and she falls silent. A disgusted grunt fills the now quiet room as a man in gold enters. Golden hair, golden armor, and crimson eyes that seemed to hunger.

"How unsightly," He spits out, sparing only a passing glance at her as he steps over her body. "So Kirei. It won't be long now until she passes on."

"No. Not long at all."

"Do you think you'll be able to transfer her command spells to you before Lancer realizes what has happened?" Kirei kneels down and begins his work. "For your sake, Kirei, I certainly hope so." As he begins the extraction of her command spells, she continues to mumble outward, begging for Lancer to save her. Her salvation never comes.


	3. First Encounter (A Stolen Contract)

The Knight in Blue explodes towards me. I cannot grasp the situation; the absurdity of it all makes it impossible to react appropriately. All I can say for certain is that if he strikes me with that spear, I will die; so naturally the only thing I can do is avoid being hit. He arrives at me in an instant, sweeping my legs with his lance. It hits with enough force to shatter my shins, and I nearly wet myself from the pain. I fall to the ground, and writhe in agony. It must be a pathetic sight.

"I don't understand it." He sighs as he twirls his lance around, ending with it's point aimed at my throat. "You saw what I could do to that woman there; what made you think you'd do any better?" I don't answer. I can't answer, because I know the answer is idiotic; I knew that I wouldn't fair any better. I knew that intervening would be impossible, and it would spell my death, but-

"Shut up," I spit out. "Shut up you bastard!" I try to sweep his legs with my own, in an attempt to trip him; hopefully it would catch him off guard at the very least. He knocks my leg away, unfazed, before delivering a swift stomp onto one of my knees. I choke back a scream. "I couldn't just let you kill her! I won't let you murder that woman in a place like this!" I stare defiantly into his eyes. "I'll stop you!" He gives a small smile, and looks almost sympathetic. Something about that pisses me off even more.

"You've got spirit, kid. I can appreciate that. I'll try and make it quick for ya." I have to do something. I have to defend myself somehow. I'm overthinking this; I'm focusing too much on the impossility of the situation before me. I just need to worry about surviving this encounter. I grip onto my bag, still slung over my shoulder; it's all I have.

"Trace-" The Knight's eyes flash, a beast-like intensity emenating towards me, and he flashes a smile.

"I see."

"on!" I pour my magical energy into the bag, attempting to strengthen it. I need to reinforce it; I need a shield, or a bludgeon, or anything that can help defend against this lance. No sooner then I finish the spell does he thrust his lance forward. In a panic, I hasten the process and allow too much energy through; the over-reinforcement quickly proves too much for the bag to bear and it explodes upon contact with the lance. The contents of the bag scatter about, surprising my assailaint. I take the opportunity to stumble to my feet and break into a sprint towards the woman.

I desperately scan the streets for something, anything to defend myself with. The closest thing I can find is some exposed piping, hanging loosely from the wall where the woman made contact. It's not ideal; a spear of the quality that this man holds is worlds ahead of some improvised weapon, but I can't just lay down and give in. It doesn't take long however to realize that the difference in power between myself and the monster hunting me will make getting around him unfeasible.

"No matter how you try and escape, kid, you're just making this harder on yourself." He appears in front of me, spear pointed outwards; I almost run headlong into it, and stumble to the ground as I try and stop myself. No sooner than my hands touch the concrete, I'm greeted with a swift kick to my chest. My heart feels like it's about to burst from the pressure of the impact. He smiles at me.

"I'll admit, that was quite a surprise. You're a Magus then." He hesitates for a moment before adding, "Well, not a very good one." I attempt to crawl towards the piping. He doesn't seem very intent on stopping me. He knows that I can't escape. I know that I can't escape. This was nothing but an exercise in futility. "Perhaps you were chosen too? It seems like too big of a coincidence to run into a mage that has nothing to do with the conflict. The Grail might have had plans for you." He gives a small sigh as I reach the piping. I reach out and pick up a broken chunk of lead, about two feet in length.

"Trace, on," I cough out. I shudder at the sensation as I pour my energy into it. Success? How many years has it been now since I've last been successful at reinforcement? It's almost funny that the time I would be successful is when it wouldn't really make a difference; a pipe like this won't save me. He eyes it.

"That's a strange magic you're working there. You expect to be able to fight me head on then?" He stands back and creates a small distance between the two of us. I stagger to my feet and hold the pipe out towards him, ready to defend an incoming attack. "Let's see how that spell holds up. I'll admit, I'm interested." Dammit. Even now, he knows I stand no chance. He's playing with me, like a cat who's caught a mouse and hasn't quite decided to finish it off. He swings his lance at my side in an arc. I position the piping between it and with a scream, smack it away. It feels like my shoulder was nearly dislodged from the impact, but the pipe holds firm. He frowns. "Yeah. A really strange magic. That should've been enough to break right through." He hesitates for a moment.

"What's the matter? Losing your nerve?" I swing for a counter attack. He blocks it away without much effort, but he seems to be losing the intensity he had before. The fact that he had to put in any effort at all is sign enough of that. He seems to be noticing it too; he furrows his brow in frustration.

"Today might be your lucky day, boy." His spear seems to fade away into a cloud of mana, before- "I was planning on playing with you a bit longer. 'll have to end this another time," - the man quickly follows suit. "If saving that woman was so important to you, you'd better hurry to her side. You might be able to give her some comfort before the end at least." I feel his presence fade away.

"..." I glance around nervously, awaiting some kind of surprise attack; it doesn't come. For some reason, the Knight in Blue decided to take his leave of us for now. I scurry to the womans side.

* * *

"What the Hell, master?" Lancer spits out. He wouldn't admit it to somebody else, but panic was starting to grip him. The flow of magical energy was getting smaller and smaller by the moment. Fighting that boy was proof enough of that. At first it was barely noticeable; a strike that should have broken his legs tripping him instead. A kick that should have broken his ribs leaving him winded and in pain instead. It certainly wasn't a fight the boy stood a chance of winning regardless, but even still, he shouldn't have survived that long to begin with.

Yes, Lancer was weakening and he knew it. His mana supply had been cut off. He arrives at the Edefelt Estate, which they had made their base. A sense of dread slips over him. He feels no sense of life in the mansion. As he approaches the door, he lets out a small sigh of relief; the flow of mana has returned. Whatever happened was bizarre, to be sure, but now-

"... Huh." Something was wrong. This mana is different from how it was. It feels wrong, unpleasant... _Corrupted_. He enters the estate.

"Lancer, by my command spell, I order you-" A mans voice rings out through the hall as he enters. "You are not to harm me." And so he understands. A wave of despair washes over Lancer as the situation sinks in. The priest standing before him, Bazetts command spells on his arm, her corpse lying off to the side.

"I see."

"Has Caster been eliminated?"

"She shouldn't be a problem any longer."

"Good." Not a moment passes before Kirei holds out his arm once more; "By my second command spell, I order you, Lancer." Lancer tenses up; hearing this bastard command him makes him sick. "You are to fight the others. All of them. Acquire information on them, and bring it back to me." He pauses for a moment before adding; "You are not to kill them."

"You know, Priest. Once those Command Spells are used up, you're in a lot of danger," Lancer hisses, his words like venom.

"I'm not too concerned." The Priest gives a small smile, and rolls up his sleeve.

"That's... A lot of Command Spells." Lancer gives a small sigh. This conflict just became a very unpleasant experience for Cu Chulainn.


	4. Hypnotic Contract

**Authors Note: Hi, hi guys and girls! Sorry I've been out of commission for so long. Real life caught up with me and it became very difficult to focus on my writing, but I'm mostly back together now and I should be pumping out weekly updates from here on out for the foreseeable future. I've taken some feedback into consideration and am adjusting my style a bit to compensate, and I'll also be going back through some of the old chapters to make some adjustments when I get the time. Sorry it took so long, and I hope you enjoy! As always, constructive feedback is always welcome!**

As her consciousness begins to return, the first thing the Caster class servant becomes aware of is the pain assailing her body. But pain is good. Pain means she is still alive, at least for now. She is violently being shaken about, and an annoying voice rings in her ears although she can't quite make out what it's saying. Her eyes slowly open; a young man, still well within his youth is carrying her. That must be what the sensation of being shaken is. The boy is running. She attempts to speak, but no sooner then she makes the effort, blood fills her mouth instead. She chokes violently on it, catching the attention of the young man. He quickly sets her down, and sits her upright, trying to create a more clear passage through her airway. The boy is clearly no medical expert.

"You're alive." It's not a question; it's more of a confirmation of what he's seeing, both for his and her own sake. She nods. "There's a pay phone nearby. I'm going to call the police." His voice is oddly even, considering how absurd this situation must seem. "I'm going to get you help. So just hang on, okay?" As he stands to turn away, panic fills the woman. She is almost out of prana; if she had a bit more, she might even be able to regenerate from her ruptured heart. But as it stands now, all she can do is use the little prana she has to sustain her life with her regenerative capabilities; without a new source soon, she will either die from her wounds, or die from a lack of magical energy. Either way everything is over once the boy leaves. She grabs his hand, pulling him back towards her before he can walk away. "What are you doing?"

"You want to save me?" The boy nods. "Then stay by my side."

* * *

I'm at a loss for words and feel my face grow hot. This is a wildly inappropriate reaction for a time like this, but I can't help myself. Her body in tatters, this woman grips my hand so tightly and whispers, "Stay by my side." What can I do? If I don't get some kind of help, she'll die. Chances are she will anyways, so...

"What do you need me to do?" After a moment of silence I answer. Unnatural lavender locks of hair shift as she pulls me down towards her. My face gets even hotter, and I'm sure it's turned three shades of red at this point. Our faces are level with one another, and she leans in towards my ear.

"What is your name boy?" Her voice is strangely beautiful.

"Emiya Shirou." I answer almost automatically.

"Then repeat my words." I'm at a loss. This is such a peculiar request, and I can't see the relevance to this situation, but the way she's holding me towards her, I can't seem to refuse. "I announce." As if in a trance, I begin to repeat after her. It must be my imagination, a trick of the light, but I could swear that I see her body disappearing from the corner of my eye. Oddly enough, I can't seem to bring myself to look away from her face to make sure.

"I announce." It sounds robotic, yet oddly serene even to my own ears. This voice is almost unfamiliar to me. "Thy body shall be under my command, and my fate shall be determined by thy sword. If you heed the Grail's call and obey my will and reason, then answer. And I shall entrust my fate to you." I am no Magus. Kiritsugu had made sure never to teach me any of the more advanced aspects of magecraft, just enough to ensure I didn't hurt myself too badly. But even I can tell this is some kind of contract. So why can't I stop myself from saying it? The hand that she is clutching begins to sting. No, it burns. It's as if it has been set aflame. I grit my teeth, enduring the agony.

"I will accept your oath under the name of Caster. I accept you as my Master, Shirou." And with that, my world goes black. It's as if I'm sinking into a vast ocean in the middle of the night. There is no light. There is no sound. I feel as if I'm drowning in the sensation of nothingness. What have I just done?

* * *

The boy collapses onto the ground as Caster drains him of his magical energy. Her hypnosis had worked wonders, but it was a gamble. If she used the last of her prana on hypnotizing the boy and the contract was not forged quickly enough, she would simply fade away. She had already begun to, actually, but once connected to the boys magic circuits, she had since stabilized and regained most of her mass.

She is in a desperate situation, and needs as much power as possible to restore her heart. Surprisingly enough, this boy seems to have some amount of innate magical energy, but not nearly enough. She has to move on to his soul. Such an abrupt loss of prana must be jarring to the child, as his consciousness rapidly begins to fade. Her wounds begin to close; the pain is still immense, but this influx of prana has aided her natural healing capabilities. She will survive.

It's lucky then, that Lancer didn't know she could regenerate; he may have taken more certain measures to ensure her, or the boys death to keep this situation from arising. As it stands now, it makes sense that he wouldn't have ended things there; very few servants would have regenerative capabilities advanced enough to survive an attack to the heart. From his perspective, he already had ensured that she was dead. Unlucky for him. Good for her. But now, there's a new issue.

"Ugh..." The boy grunts in agony as his life begins to slip away. What to do with him? She was far from fully recovered, and was still in great pain. Every drop of his soul she rips away from him would do wonders for her own well being. The energy within his soul is amplified exponentially when converted into prana and siphoned into her. But still... He had saved her, had he not?

"Not of his own free will..." The witch mutters. Her understanding of magical contracts is advanced enough however to know that this simply isn't true. She used the last of her prana to hypnotize him, forcing him to say the words... But a magical contract cannot be forced. His willingness to participate is what made this possible. She stares at him for a few moments, contemplating.

She is a Caster class servant. Her strength is among the lowest possible for a Heroic Spirit, with a rank of E, but even still that is many times stronger then an average human. She reaches down, lifting the boy into her arms with ease. If nothing else, she has to ensure his survival until she can find a new solution to her lack of magical energy. Her new source of prana won't do her much good if she taps it dry immediately.

It's as if a man dehydrating in the desert was suddenly given a bottle of water. He would be tempted to drink it all immediately to quench his insatiable thirst, but that would only doom him later. It's the same here; the best thing she can do for herself, is to take it in with moderation. Just enough to keep away from death, for as long as possible. It's not ideal... "But it's the only way to survive for now," she once again mutters to nobody in particular. But where to take him?

Well, maybe she could use just a little bit more of his prana. Something small like this _shouldn't_ kill him.

* * *

I'm surrounded by a field engulfed in flames. This is a memory I have relived many times throughout my dreams, but this is different. The heat of the fire and the burning clouds of ash... I don't feel either of them right now. The ash may as well be snow with how cold it is. Everything is like ice... But regardless of the change in how it feels, the memory itself remains the same.

Death. As far as the eye can see. Burning buildings. Burning corpses. Burning memories. The fire that had struck Shinto casually wiped away hundreds of lives, and everything I was before Kiritsugu along with them. In a way I guess you could say the fire wiped my life away as well. The child that existed before I was Emiya Shirou was no more.

There is no hope to be had in a place like this. It's such an obvious Hell that even a child could understand it. That there can be no salvation. That there is only death to be had here. I stumble through the flames aimlessly looking for a way out. Simply because I am the only one left alive, I ought to survive. For all of those who didn't have that chance. Eventually I can't walk anymore. I collapse, as I have in this dream a hundred times before... And it begins to rain.

Normally the rain brings a feeling of relief. I acknowledge that it will put the fire out, and the same glimmer of hope from back then would fill my thoughts, but now... With this cold accompanying it, the rain is like ice. It feels uncomfortable. It pours, and pours, and pours. It covers me. It submerges me. Rising higher and higher around me. The fire is replaced by a great flood.

This is wrong. This is all wrong.

This memory; this is the memory of when Kiritsugu saved me, it should be happening now, so why-?

The water begins to grow more violent. Suddenly my movements are my own again, and I become acutely aware of the sensation of drowning. Why does this feeling seem so familiar? Regardless it's unpleasant, so I desperately claw my way towards the surface of the water. I surface, and am in awe at what I see. An ocean surrounds me, and passing by? A great wooden ship. I can only stare up at it in shock and surprise, but I suddenly realize; somewhere along the line, this recurring nightmare of that memory from 10 years ago, has become an ordinary dream. That's somewhat relieving, but-

"Disgusting," a voice calls out from atop the ship. "What a revolting sight. Throw that mess overboard, now."

"Yes, my love." An oddly familiar voice. Where have I heard it before? I don't have long to contemplate before I see it; something begins to tumble off the ship. They land in the water beside me.

 _Splash. Splash. Splash._ Bits and pieces of something, but what-? I can only stare in horror as I realize what I see. Pieces of a person. Pieces of a man. Ripped apart. Shredded. Hacked into chunks, and discarded into the sea. What _monster_ could do such a thing? A wave overtakes me and I am submerged in the void once more.

* * *

A light slowly fills my vision. A warmth too, that begins within my hand and slowly spreads to the rest of me. My eyes slowly begin to focus; and I'm surprised. I'm lying in an unfamiliar room, in an unfamiliar bed, but I feel strangely safe. The smell of medicine, ointment, and antiseptic fills the room. I glance around; there's a lot of injured people in the beds alongside mine. Exclusively children. In hindsight, hospitals do tend to have children's wards so that does make some amount of sense.

Days pass, and as I begin to recover from my wounds I understand the severity of my situation. Of the situation of all the children around me. There had been a terrible fire. It was a miracle I had survived, my parents had died, and I was alone. You would think that a child would have a hard time coming to terms with this. Maybe it should've been hard for me. But all I could do is lie in bed and process this information, so it didn't take much time to accept.

I understand now; I'm back here again. In this dream. It's a memory I know well. I didn't have much time to worry about what would happen to me before he arrived.

"You must be Shirou-kun." From there, the conversation took a handful of twists and turns. He introduced himself; Emiya Kiritsugu. He asked if I would like to go to an orphanage, or if I'd like to go with him. Personally, I had no stake in it one way or the other. The way I saw it, I would be staying with a stranger regardless. At the very least I'd interacted with him, so I knew what to expect. So I guess it was a natural conclusion that I would accept his offer.

"Fantastic," he says with a great smile. "That's absolutely fantastic. We should probably work on gathering your things." Before I can respond one way or the other, he hastily begins packing my bags in an excited fervor. He does a terrible job of it, even in my eyes, and I can tell he's a bit unorganized himself. After making a huge mess of things, he looks up, as if realizing he forgot something important. "But first... And I probably should have mentioned this before... I'm a magus. Do you know what that is?" I don't answer, so he must have taken that as a no. "I'm like a wizard." There's no sense of sarcasm or a joke in his words. "Is that okay with you?"

Come to think of it, I truly was a child. I didn't hesitate, I didn't doubt. He told me was a wizard, so it must be true. "Wow... That's awesome!" I don't personally even remember this part. But Father would always reminisce about that day. He would remember the story, and retell it again, and again, and again. Each time, he would get to that part, and a huge smile would spread across his face as he'd repeat what I said. "Wow... That's awesome!" Every single time. If the way he talked about it was any indicator, I think it's safe to say that may have been the happiest moment of his life.

As odd as it was that he would outright tell a child that he was a magus, I guess it was more strange that I belived it outright. Even more ridiculous then that, I found it something to be admired. This man took me in, and I became an Emiya. I was proud. I was proud to share the last name of the man who had saved my life.

Years passed. As I grew to be old enough to stay home by myself, Kiritsugu began leaving on longer and longer trips outside of Japan. He would always go off on adventures, "traveling the world" as he put it, and leaving me behind. I had to learn how to take care of myself, and as such began to take a certain amount of pride in my cooking. He would often times disappear for months, and there was one instance where he was gone for half a year. It was somewhat lonely, being by my own in such a large house, but whenever Father would return, that sense of loneliness would be replaced by wonder at the stories he would tell me from his adventures abroad.

The Father who would always chase his dreams as if he was a little kid... He was wildly irresponsible, and his attitude was somewhat careless. Regardless, I loved and admired him, as only a child could. Regardless of all of his flaws, he was an absolutely dazzling beacon of heroism to me... And I wanted to be like him one day myself. It also stands to reason that the cause behind my trying to be so reliable, was looking at how unreliable he himself was.

* * *

"Senpai? You've slept in quite late today." A voice calls out to me. I open my eyes and quickly become aware of how much pain my body is in. I feel exhausted, not just physically but mentally. My head feels very hazy. The door to my room slides open and Sakura gingerly enters. I attempt to sit up, only to realize that the condition my body is in won't allow for that too easily. I grunt in pain. She glances down towards me, her expression quickly shifting from curiosity to concern. She races down to my side. "Senpai!"

"Good morning, Sakura." An unusually casual response for this situation, but it's the first thing that comes to mind. She grabs me and helps me sit up. Doing so reveals a series of bruises along my arms and hands. The aches traveling throughout my body make me realize just how many more must cover the rest of me. My left leg feels like it could be broken. I glance up to her; she looks like she's slipping into shock seeing my condition. I suppose I can't really blame her.

"Senpai, what-?" She trails off, but the question pretty much asks itself. What happened?

"I..." I think back. What did happen? I remember a Knight in Blue, and- "There was... A woman. She was hurt, very badly, and..." I hesitate. The story sounds so outlandish even in my head, so I have no idea how I could repeat it out loud to Sakura. In fact, I'm pretty sure I shouldn't even if I could make it make sense. It's hard to separate what happened from my series of dreams last night; everything is hazy. I don't even remember getting home. "I don't know." I shake my head. "I'm not entirely sure." She stares at my hand, even more disturbed then before.

"Senpai, what's-?" I glance down at my hand, curious as to what could have her more perturbed then my current condition. I definitely see why she was so off-put; an intricate marking; it looks a lot like a tattoo, vaguely resembling the appearance of a sword is engraved on my left hand.

"I have no idea." I answer honestly. I stare at it equally dumbfounded. What the Hell actually happened last night? Sakura stares for what seems like a long time, but I suppose I can't really tell for sure; in this much pain, even a few seconds feels like a while.

"Sorry, Sakura. I didn't mean to sleep in. I'll help you with breakfast, okay?" I attempt to pull myself to my feet, but the condition of my leg quickly puts me back down. This isn't good.

"Senpai, you're in no condition to make breakfast like this." I try to argue with her, but considering I can't even stand up it's hard to make a compelling case. "You just rest, okay? I'm going to call Fujimura-sensei." She stands up and leaves my room very abruptly.

Great. Fuji-nee is the last person I need knowing about my condition. I have no idea what I could even say to her to explain this. I don't even get a chance to argue with Sakura about this, since I can't follow her out of the room. I lean back and close my eyes.

"I see you're awake, boy." A familiar voice fills my ears. "Good to see I didn't get too greedy. I was nervous for a second." My eyes shoot open, and a woman with a beauty like I've never seen fills my vision. Unnatural lavender hair, a beautiful violet shade of lipstick, deep blue eyes... Pointed ears? Everything about this situation is unreal, but more importantly, it reminds me of the Knight in Blue.

"How much of that was real?" I manage to ask the most obvious question before giving into my sense of panic.

"That depends on what you saw, Master. If you're referring to saving me from Lancer, well, that happened at the very least." Several thoughts fill my head. Lancer? Master? What does any of this mean?

"I'm lost. You're going to need to explain this to me." For starters, the most important question... "Why are you in my room?" She gives a small smile.

"Good to see you have your priorities in order, Master."


End file.
